Teach Me How to Pray
by Number54
Summary: "Will you teach me?" In another one of Homura's many timelines, it's time for the final battle with Walpurgisnacht. While they are preparing for the final assault, Mami requests something of Kyoko that no one has ever requested from her before.


**A/N: I've been sick for almost a month now, and I must say it's kicking my ass that's for sure. Anyway, please accept this Madoka Magica oneshot as an extremely late Christmas/New Years present from me. Or if it's been your birthday here recently between the months of December and February, then consider it an early/late birthday present. Aren't I thoughtful? :D**

 **-54**

* * *

Dark, sinister clouds swirled menacingly in the sky just above the city of Mitakihara, undoubtedly harboring the impending storm that would soon unleash its fury upon the city's inhabitants in just a matter of seconds.

Homura stood just on the edge of Mitakihara's outskirts, the railing being the only thing separating her and the agitated waters of the river. Her stoic expression remained, even as her dark hair whipped wildly in the small on and off bouts of wind and the slight spray of saltwater from the wild thrashing of the tides caught the wind and blew against her form.

Despite the multiple times Homura has found herself standing in this exact spot at the exact same period of time, she still couldn't help but scrutinize the storm clouds' formations. Everything that has happened up to this point was like clockwork for her. Every moment, every detail, every carefully handled plot point she had memorized.

However, none of that stopped her from being cautious. One careless mistake, no matter the size, could create yet another train crash, which would lead to multiple other train crashes, and Homura would be _damned_ if she had to run it back again. Not when she was so close she could actually _taste_ it.

"Tomoe-san," Homura spoke up over another bout of wind without taking her eyes off of the brewing storm overhead.

At the mention of her name, the blonde Magi silently made her way over to Homura's side. Her yellow eyes followed the dark-haired girl's index finger as she pointed to a particular break in the cloud formation.

"Walpurgisnacht will appear in the east, between the division of those two clouds in particular."

Mami placed a hand just above her eyes, scrutinizing the very divide in the sky Homura had just pinpointed. "I see. And you're absolutely sure?"

"I am." Homura stated gravely.

The blonde Magi continued to study the layout of the darkened sky a bit longer before turning to Homura and nodding once. "Then I will trust your judgement."

Vibrations from two very distinct _thuds_ could be felt under the pair's feet. Unlike Mami, Homura didn't feel the need to turn to address the other two Magical Girls face to face. Not only because she was used to the fact that Kyoko and Sayaka were always basically attached at the hip in almost every single timeline, but also because the appearance of the pair was obvious by the telltale sounds of Kyoko's munching and crunching of whatever kind of snack she brought with her.

"There you are," Mami was the first to speak, relief evident in her voice. "Are they evacuating?"

"That's an understatement," Kyoko had her arm wrapped around the pole of her spear, the hand of said arm fishing around in a small bag of chips. "They're gettin' the hell outta Dodge."

"She's not kidding," Sayaka agreed. "It's a total catastrophe back there." She pointed back over her shoulder with her thumb.

Unbeknownst to the eyes of the three conversing Magical Girls, the stoic expression Homura had worn since that morning immediately morphed into a look of steel determination. She knew the pandemonium of the evacuating residents of Mitakihara wasn't caused just by the overwhelming emotion of fear, but also by the underlying feel of the atmosphere.

Every witch had this ability, and regardless of whether you were human or not, it affected you to some degree. The more powerful the witch, the more powerful the feeling was.

Homura herself could feel the tension in the atmosphere growing within every second that passed. A tension she had felt so many times that the feeling was practically burned into her nervous system. A part of her was actually surprised she could still notice it. It all could mean only one thing:

The coming of Walpurgisnacht was close.

Even though Homura was very familiar with the estimated time of arrival, the feeling of Walpurgisnacht's coming amplified tenfold when Madoka had approached her earlier that week and confided in her that she felt like the sky was going to fall.

"Have you made sure of Madoka's safety?" Homura immediately spoke up, her back still turned toward the trio.

Mami, Kyoko, and Sayaka turned to the source of the interruption of their conversation, neither of them with an expression of surprise or contempt present on their faces.

"Evacuated with the rest of Mitakihara," Sayaka says, moving to stand beside Homura. "Come to think of it, her family was one of the first to head out."

After that statement and for the first time in a _very_ long time, Homura releases a contented sigh.

The blue-haired Magi notices this and places a comforting, gloved hand on Homura's shoulder. "Relax, Homura! All four of us have the plan down pat! There's no way we can lose!"

Homura eyes Sayaka out of her peripheral vision before looking back up to the sky for the umpteenth time, another gust of wind catching her hair.

"I hope you're right, Miki Sayaka," It was Homura's turn to place a hand on Sayaka's shoulder. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Kyoko stood off to the side, continuing to lean on the pole of her spear as she devoured the bag of chips like she knew for sure that it was going to be her last meal.

And much like Homura and Sayaka, her eyes were glued to the ominous-looking sky.

As she was in the midst of bringing another potato chip to her mouth, she paused her movements and turned her head slightly as if she was entranced by the nasty hue of the sky.

That's when it automatically occurred to her that out of all the fourteen years she had spent on this planet, this was the first time she had ever seen the usually azure sky become a sickly green color.

"It's strange," Kyoko hadn't noticed Mami standing by her side until the blonde had made her presence known verbally just now. "I've always held an admiration for the color green, but right now, just looking at it makes me feel a little sick."

The red Magi turned her head to acknowledge the sudden appearance of the older girl by her side. Mami was looking at the sky, and even though Kyoko was looking at a side-view of her face, the redhead could see the far away look in her yellow colored irises.

Kyoko didn't know if Mami was expecting some kind of reply or not, so she opted not to give one. Instead, she reached into her bag and tossed another potato chip into her mouth.

"Are you afraid of dying, Kyoko?"

Mami's unorthodox question prompted the redhead to abruptly stop chewing. In that moment, time seemed to slow down for a brief second before Kyoko swallowed the last remnants of a broken down potato chip and spoke.

"If 'ya die, 'ya die, Mami," Kyoko knew her words probably weren't providing any sort of comfort that Mami may have been trying to seek out. It was just her blunt view. "When it's your turn to go, there's not really much 'ya can do, 'ya know?"

The blonde-haired girl let out a dry chuckle. That was the exact kind of answer she had expected out of her kouhai. "That still doesn't answer my question."

Now it wasn't Mami with the far away look in her eyes this time, but Kyoko herself.

Another gust of wind blew, the now empty potato chip bag blowing away in its soft gale as red eyes looked at the ground.

Mami had turned her whole body to face Kyoko as she gazed at the somewhat melancholic expression the younger girl's face held. It had certainly been a while since she had seen Kyoko contemplate something over in her head like this. She knew for a fact that the red Magi had always had a sharp reply at the ready, no matter what kind of question was asked. It felt _nostalgic_ to see her like this.

Then finally, in a small voice, Kyoko spoke. "Everyone's scared of somethin', Mami. As for me, I'm scared of a lot of things. Death ain't exactly at the top of the list, but it's there."

A bittersweet smile crossed Mami's face at her revelation.

"But," Kyoko sighed, both hands grasped around the pole of her spear as she leaned on it. "When I pray, all the things I'm scared of go away, 'ya know? That's what my father always used to tell me as a kid. Prayer scares away all of the bad things, whether it be a small Hail Mary or one of my own. And I've come to realize that it does."

"Will you teach me?"

Kyoko's eyes immediately flitted up from the ground to stare into Mami's own yellow ones, the bittersweet smile still present on the latter's face.

"Teach 'ya what?"

"Teach me how to pray."

Kyoko's eyes widened in shock for a split second. No one had ever asked her to do that. The only person she had ever taught prayer to was her little sister, and even then, her father was the one who mainly taught her. Kyoko had only helped a little.

"Well, uh," Kyoko coughed. "It ain't hard. 'Ya've seen me do it before. All 'ya gotta do is just, uh, close your eyes, bow your head, clear your thoughts, and talk. If I can do it, anyone can."

Mami could recall the very few times she had watched Kyoko kneel down in prayer. While it was a very elusive thing to see, Mami knew very well that Kyoko prayed almost everyday, whether she knelt down or stood up whilst doing so, it didn't matter. Just as long as it was said.

"Here," Kyoko reached out to clasp Mami's hand in her own and brought it up between them, mirroring the exact same motions as that of two people who were making a blood pact with each other. "Just repeat after me, okay?"

Mami nodded, as she and Kyoko bowed their heads in prayer.

Murmurings of blessings with divine intervention during the battle with Walpurgisnacht were spoken, divine protection from their enemy was sought out, and the possibility of their last night on earth was also mentioned.

After ending with an amen, the intertwining of the pair's hands remained. That was the first thing both girls noticed after opening their eyes. Kyoko was the first to look up, her small fang protruding out of her sideways smile. Mami returned the gesture with a genuine smile of her own.

Everything was going to be okay, no matter the outcome.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm a hardcore KyoSaya shipper, but I think KyoMami is cute too!**

 **Plus, I'm leaving it up to you to interpret whether or not this was a romantic interaction or a platonic interaction between Kyoko and Mami. To me, it could go either way. Whatever floats y'all's boats.**

 **Another question. Did Homura actually succeed in this one, or did she end up having to reset again?**

 **Until next time!**

 **-54**


End file.
